Adult fish are dark brownish olive on the back, becoming lighter on the sides to white on the ventral surface.

The adult male differs from a closely related filament barb species found in Tambraparni River basin, Dawkinsia tambraparniei, and lacks the filament-like extensions to the branched dorsal-fin rays which lend to the incorrect use of the common name, longfin barb (Dawkinsia filamentosa).

Its native habitat is large streams, rivers, and lakes, with a pH of 6.0 – 6.5, dH of 10, and temperature 19 °C to 25 °C.

Also compatible with some cichlid species, but smaller fish such as neon tetras would be at risk of predation.

As with many barbs, nippy behavior is common, but alleviated by keeping the fish in numbers of at least 5–6 individuals in the aquarium, while taking into account the space requirements of the adult size of 4–5 inches (10–12 cm).